…As Oyo Evacuates 112 Beggars
Former chairmen of Local Governments and Local Council Development Areas in Oyo State sacked by Governor Seyi Makinde, have disagreed with him over payment of their accumulated salaries.
They said that the governor only paid N1 billion of N7.056 billion due to them.
The governor had said only the 33 chairmen recognised by the law will be paid, while the sacked chairmen argued that the 68 of them went to court and the Supreme Court did not exclude any one of them from payment.
The state government said the sum accrued to the chairmen is N4,874,889,425.60 and recently authorised the payment of N1 billion to them.
But the sacked council chairmen, in a statement by the immediate past ALGON Chairman in the state and Chairman, Forum 68, Prince Ayodeji Abass-Aleshinloye, expressed surprise that the state government’s claim that the money accrued to them is N4,874,889,425.60after its (state government’s) representatives agreed with their lawyer that the total judgement payment is N7.056 billion.
They said:“We, the former democratically elected Local Government Chairmen in Oyo State, wish to acknowledge the payment of One Billion Naira (N1 bn) by Oyo State Government, the Judgement Debtors in Suit No. SC/CV/556/ 2020.
“The part payment of One billion Naira by Gov. Seyi Makinde led Oyo State Government, is sequel to the Supreme Court Judgment delivered on 7th May,2021, which inter alia, ordered that Gov. Makinde should pay all salaries and allowances of all the elected Chairmen and Councilors of the 33 Local Government Councils and 35 Local Government Development Areas, who were parties/appellants to the suit.
“After series of rigmarole, deliberate delay of payment by Oyo State Government, the representatives of elected Chairmen and Councilors under the auspices of ALGON and our brilliant and resilient lawyers, eventually met with the representatives of Oyo State Government. At the end, it was unanimously agreed after careful calculations that the total judgment payment is N7.056 billion after deductions of PAYE.
“So, we are surprised that in the public statement issued by Oyo State Government, the general public was misinformed that it had paid One Billion Naira out of a total sum of Four Billion, Eight Hundred and Seventy Four Million, Eight Hundred and Eight Nine Thousand, Four Hundred and Sixty Five Naira, Sixty Kobo (N4,874,889,465.6).
“As usual, the Government lied again with the statement and figures quoted as the total judgment sum due to us.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we reiterate that the total judgment payment as jointly calculated and agreed with the state government is Seven Billion, Fifty Six Million Naira Only (N7. 056 billion).
“Our team of lawyers are already taking appropriate steps to call the attention of the Oyo State Government to the “error” which we considered as a deliberate ploy to mislead the good people of Oyo State.
“We also reiterate that the One Billion Naira paid by the Oyo State Government is just about 14% of the amount Supreme Court directed the Oyo State Government to pay us and we consider this to be a flagrant disobedience of the order of the Supreme Court as the court did not at anytime order that the judgment sum be paid in installments.
“A meeting of all structures of the former ALGON will be called very soon to discuss and review next steps.
“We would pursue the struggle to its final logical conclusion until the total implementation of the Supreme Court judgment.”
Meanwhile,Oyo state government, has again evacuated 95 beggars,17 mentally ill persons within Ibadan metropolis.
The State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, Alhaja Kafilat Olayiwola stated this while leading the state raiding team on evacuation of beggars and destitutes from Mokola roundabout, Jemibewon road, Sango, Ojoo roundabout, Eleyele, Challenge, and Dugbe.
Other areas as captured in the exercise are; the popular Iwo road roundabout, Gbagi and Academy – Monatan road.
Speaking with the newsmen shortly after the exercise at the Akinyele Resettlement center, the Honourable Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, Alhaja Olayiwola said, “When I assumed office about two months ago, I visited this place as a matter of duty to see the facilities on ground, welfarism of the people and how we can improve more on what I met on ground.
“I held meetings with the stakeholders, especially the leaders of the Hausa Arewa communitiesand they all commended the laudable efforts of the state government ably led by Governor Seyi Makinde for the initiative on this matter.
“Infact most of their leaders frowned at the non compliance of their people that had returned to the streets to continue their begging business and we assured them that we would recaptured them in no time of which we have started massively today again.
“We always received calls on the high increase of these beggars as they occupied all our major roads which is always an eye sore and we have strategized and renewed our plans to bring the mendicants who have left the provided Resettlement center back to the facility provided with adequate amenities which including free feeding in the morning, afternoon and night.
While expressing her displeasure over the attack of the state government raiding team by the beggars at the popular ‘Bola’ located at Jemibewon road, Alhaja Olayiwola said, government would not condone any act that would jeopardize the peace of the people of Oyo state
“Our team was seriously attacked with stones, sharp objects and sporadic gun shots by the beggars who ran to their undergrounds exchanging with our security men. Do we call those ones too beggars or hoodlums? Perpetrators of evil acts are fully among them though some may be innocent but we don’t trust anyone of them based on what we experienced today, but thank God for the security agents, they were able to overpowered them and we captured most of them back.”
947700cookie-checkSacked Chairmen Fault Makinde Over Payment Of Accumulated Salaries
